Taking It To The Next Level

[kamjah]

So ive been playing at party (and skins until the split) for about a year and a half now. Im not gunna lie, i started off playing some horrible poker. I lost about a grand without even realizing it (which is huge when ur working a parttime job at starbucks). Thats when somebody introduced me to 2+2, which helped me make my comeback. From that point i tightened up, posted some hands, and improved my game immensely. By multitabling 50 and 100NL ring games I made back the grand i lost plus another 3500 on top. Being the 19 year old that i was, i went out and spent the money on my car.

Now once school started, i quit my job at starbucks, and was left with about 500 bucks in my bank account. And ive been playing since school started in the fall on and off. I guess you could say i hit some type of wall, because in the past few months my bankroll has been doing nothing but fluctuating up and down (mainly down). And i havent been able to gain that same momentum that i had last year. It seems to me that there has been a significant decrease in the donks:good players ratio, so i feel that i need to adjust accordingly.

I guess what im looking for, is a way to improve my game. As of now, i have about 500 dollars to my name, and im thinking of how to go about taking it to the next level. Ive allways wanted to buy poker tracker, but 55 dollars for software allways seemed like too much for me. I was also thinking of picking up Theory of Poker, which seems to be THE book to read. I guess what im asking is, should i just keep grinding it out, and keep gaining experience, or will making the investment on these two products be the better choice. And what other things helped people make the transition from noob to good/semi-pro poker players.

-kamjah

[pryor15]

don't think of pokertracker as $55 bucks spent, think of it as $55 invested. mine paid for itself the first hour after i started using it.

I used one of the links on this site and signed up with bodog to get pokertracker free... its a really easy requirement took me a few hours in 25NL game. Im in a similiar situation as yours and I definitely recommend getting pokertracker.

If you multi-table at all PT makes things easier. But I would recommend it, even if you do not multi-table, being able to look up your own stats is invaluable.

Get both; either direct or via some sort of deal. Trying to get better without it is -EV.

[pzhon]

First, you don't need PokerTracker to crush the low stakes online NL games for more than 20 big blinds/100. You need to know how to play well. Think carefully about every big pot. Think about how to play to lose the least and win the most against a range of hands. Think about the mistakes you see your opponents make, and how to exploit them.

Second, with a $500 bankroll and uncertain skills, you should move down to NL 25. It may not be as much fun, but unless you can crush these games, you have huge leaks. Get used to winning, then move back up while maintaining that feeling.

Third, with $500, you should chase bonuses to build up your bankroll. At this point, bonuses can easily double your win rate or more. As you play on different sites, you will also be exposed to different styles of play, which is good for your game.

[kamjah]

[ QUOTE ]
Get both; either direct or via some sort of deal. Trying to get better without it is -EV.

[/ QUOTE ]

get both as in pokertracker and theory of poker? btw, am i right that this is THE book for improving my NL ring game? or is there another book that i don't know about

PS. is it those boogster.com links ur talking about? and if so, which site should i sign up under? (which has the best software and or player base)

[the machine]

where is the link for bodog to get pokertracker for free????

[ QUOTE ]
don't think of pokertracker as $55 bucks spent, think of it as $55 invested. mine paid for itself the first hour after i started using it.

[/ QUOTE ]

But you HAVE to get Gametime+ or another HUD program to maximize it. GT+ is free and well worth it a twice the price.

Wait, is that possible?

[kamjah]

i don't think ive heard of gametime before. is it the same thing as pokerace? basically they make it so the stats of people uve played with before show up right by their name, right?